1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that can select the best information from multiple information by utilizing information which can be applied in common among multiple systems.
2. Description of Related Art
When a human wishes to operate a system as he desires, he must use some physical means to in link his desire with the operation of the system. To operate a system using an input device such as a keyboard or a remote controller, a user must know well what to do with the input device to achieve his desire instantly. Otherwise, he has to take similar actions again and again.
When operating a system by voice, the user converts his desire into voice (words), and then the voice is inputted to a voice recognition device (engine). The voice recognition device, storing a preselected group of proposed voice(command) which is likely to be inputted, extracts therefrom several proposed voice compatible with the inputted voice, and provides the most positive one to the user. Then, the user determines whether the proposed voice provided by the voice recognition device is appropriate or not. If the proposed voice is appropriate, the user lets the system operate based on the proposed voice. If the proposed voice is not appropriate, the user stops the system using the input device such as the remote controller, or the voice recognition device, inputs the voice again, or selects another voice extracted by the voice recognition device until his desire is achieved.
However, to achieve his desire using such input devices, the user must understand the structure of the system as well as in what way the system operates, since the input devices are heavily dependent on the structure of the system.
Moreover, the input devices are designed solely to convert the user desire into the control of the system, but not designed to achieve what the user desires. The voice recognition device is designed to only reproduce what the user words to express his desire, but not designed to achieve what the user desires. These devices only follow what the user explicitly directs them to operate through his operational commands. Hence, if wishing to operate a sophisticated system or having to use these input devices which are less versatile, then the user is forced to take quite cumbersome actions in order to achieve his desire, i.e., select the best information from among multiple information and/or rank information, for example.
To operate the system with the keyboard or the remote controller as the input device, for example, the user usually needs to follow predetermined steps and also give several operational commands to the input device, which is troublesome. In addition, the user, often required to select means for achieving his desire from several steps prescribed by the system, needs to be well trained beforehand.
When operating the system using the voice recognition device, the voice recognition device, due to its processing the inputted voice based on the preselected group of proposed voice, often fails to correctly respond to the inputted voice when the user's desire is expressed in a different way from what is expected as the proposed voice, or fails to flexibly accommodate changes in operating environments that affect the user's desire as well as changes in how the user utilizes the system through his habit and/or experience.